Ever walked outside, looked up, and felt totally confused by the shape of that glowing rock in the sky? You aren't alone. It's Friday, January 16, 2026, and if you’re asking what moon are we having tonight, you’re actually looking at a Waning Crescent.
It’s thin. It's delicate. Honestly, it's one of the most underrated views you can get.
The moon is currently about 5% illuminated. That means it’s just a sliver, a "fingernail" hanging in the darkness. Because we are just a few days away from the New Moon (which lands on the 18th), the sky is getting darker and darker every night. For stargazers, this is basically peak season. Without the giant, glowing "streetlamp" of a Full Moon washing out the sky, the stars actually have a chance to pop. If you have a decent pair of binoculars, tonight is the night to pull them out.
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Why the Moon Looks Like a Sliver Right Now
So, why a crescent? It’s all about the geometry between us, the sun, and that big dusty sphere. Right now, the moon is trailing behind Earth in its orbit, moving closer to the line of sight we have with the sun. We are seeing mostly the shadowed side.
The term "waning" just means it’s shrinking. Well, not literally shrinking—it’s not a deflating balloon—but the portion of the sunlit side visible to us is getting smaller. In a few days, it’ll be gone completely from our view during the New Moon phase. Then the whole cycle starts over. People often get "waxing" and "waning" mixed up. A quick trick? If the curve is on the left (in the Northern Hemisphere), it’s leaving us. Waning. Left is leaving.
The Phenomenon of Earthshine
If you look closely at the moon tonight, you might notice something eerie. Even though only a tiny sliver is "lit," you can often see the faint, ghostly outline of the rest of the circle.
That’s called Earthshine. Some people call it the "Old Moon in the New Moon’s arms."
It’s literally light from the sun reflecting off Earth’s clouds and oceans, hitting the moon, and bouncing back to your eyes. It’s a double-bounce of sunlight. It looks incredible through a camera lens. If you’re trying to photograph it, use a slightly longer exposure than you think you need. The "dark" part of the moon will start to glow a soft, ashen blue.
What Moon Are We Having Tonight for Stargazing?
Because the moon is so dim right now, the visibility for deep-sky objects is fantastic.
If you’re in a spot with low light pollution, look toward the constellation Orion. Since the moon isn't hogging the spotlight, the Orion Nebula (M42) should be visible even with cheap binoculars. It’ll look like a fuzzy star in the "sword" hanging from Orion’s belt.
- Moonrise: It’s rising very late, actually in the early morning hours.
- Moonset: It’ll hang out in the sky during the day tomorrow, though it's hard to spot.
- Illumination: 5.1% (roughly).
- Distance: It’s about 398,000 kilometers away right now.
The moon doesn't just sit there. It’s moving at about 2,288 miles per hour. While you’re eating dinner or scrolling through your phone, that massive rock is hauling through space. Tonight, because it's in the Waning Crescent phase, it’s positioned in a way that it won't even rise until well after midnight for most of the US and Europe. If you're an early riser—the 5:00 AM gym crowd—you’ll see it hanging low in the eastern sky just before dawn.
Common Misconceptions About the Moon's Shape
I hear this a lot: "The shadow on the moon is caused by the Earth."
Nope.
That only happens during a lunar eclipse. The regular phases—like the one we have tonight—are just us seeing the moon's own day and night sides from different angles. It’s exactly like holding a baseball next to a lamp. If you move the ball around your head, you’ll see different parts of it lit up. The ball isn't changing; your perspective is.
Another big one? The "Dark Side of the Moon."
There is no permanent dark side. Every inch of the moon gets sunlight eventually. There is, however, a Far Side that we never see from Earth because the moon is tidally locked. It rotates exactly once for every orbit it makes around us. It’s like a ballroom dancer always facing their partner while spinning around the floor. Tonight, we’re looking at the very edge of the familiar side before it slips into its monthly shadow.
Planning Your Observation
If you want to catch the moon tonight, or technically in the pre-dawn hours of tomorrow, you need a clear view of the Eastern horizon.
- Check the local weather. If there’s high cloud cover, you’re out of luck.
- Find a "Dark Sky" map. If you live in a city like New York or London, the light pollution makes Earthshine hard to see. Drive 30 minutes out of town if you can.
- Let your eyes adjust. It takes about 20 minutes for your pupils to fully dilate. Don’t look at your phone screen during those 20 minutes, or you’ll reset your night vision.
- Look for the "D" shape. Well, since it's waning, it'll look more like a backwards "C" in the Northern Hemisphere.
Actionable Steps for Tonight
Don't just look at it for three seconds and go back inside. To really appreciate the lunar cycle, you have to engage with it.
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First, download an app like Stellarium or SkyGuide. These use your phone's GPS and gyroscope to show you exactly what you’re looking at in real-time. Point it at that sliver of light and see which stars are neighboring it. Right now, the moon is passing through the constellation Ophiuchus/Sagittarius area, depending on your exact hour of observation.
Second, if you have a telescope, don't look at the bright part. Look at the "Terminator Line." That’s the line where light meets shadow. Because the sun is hitting the moon at a very low angle there, the shadows of the craters and mountains are incredibly long and dramatic. Even a tiny crescent has mountains taller than the Alps. On the terminator line, those peaks catch the light while the valleys stay dark, creating a jagged, high-contrast landscape that looks three-dimensional.
Finally, keep a mental note of where the moon is tonight compared to tomorrow. It moves about 13 degrees across the sky every 24 hours. By tomorrow night, it will be even thinner and closer to the sun. By Sunday, it will be the New Moon, and for a day or two, the moon will be "invisible" to us, lost in the sun's glare. This is the natural rhythm that has dictated human calendars for thousands of years. Watching it change is a great way to feel a little more connected to the actual planet we live on.
Check the eastern horizon around 5:30 AM. If the sky is clear, that silver sliver will be the best thing you see all day.